NPR health

Sometimes the real trick for improving health is getting people, including doctors, to hear the right message and then do something about it.

The number of new HIV infections in the U.S. is relatively stable at about 50,000 people a year. But HIV is on the rise in people under 25, federal data show. The upswing is driven largely by infections among young black men.

Despite the perception that Americans are a bunch of boozers, a new study shows men in their 20s and 30s take in about 175 calories a day in alcohol; for women, it's about 60 calories. Still, the government warns, it's a little more than we should be imbibing on a daily basis.

Researchers have found dozens of free apps on iPhones and Androids that promote and glamorize smoking. Many of the apps target children and teens by using cartoons, celebrities and games. Health experts say these apps, downloaded by millions of people, violate bans on tobacco advertising.

Under the federal health law, adult children can remain on parents' insurance plans until they reach age 26. Parents may find out about their daughters' prescriptions for birth control pills from notices of insurance benefits.

The typical child in the U.S. is exposed to nearly four hours of background TV a day, a national survey finds. The youngest kids are exposed to the most, yet should watch the least, according to guidelines from pediatricians.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is adding a Department of Family Medicine. It is now one of the only top medical schools to offer family medicine as a specialty for its students.

Researcher say parents don't need to worry about their babies being emotionally scarred by crying while they're learning to sleep. Techniques like controlled comforting and camping out for managing infant sleep are quite OK, they say.

Even though organic food has less pesticide residue, a new review of several recent studies finds scant evidence that it has more nutrients or fewer risky bacteria than conventionally grown food. But researchers note that organic agriculture can bring environmental benefits.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki found that, similar to previous, smaller studies, having had an abortion prior to giving birth for the first time is associated with a risk of low birth weight or giving birth prematurely. But the risk is very small.